


Cataclysmia, Love

by Blossemfall, orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Black-Red Vacillation, Blood, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hunting, Illegal Activities, M/M, Male Pregnancy, Manipulative Relationship, Minor Character(s), Mother Grub - Freeform, Multi, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Panic Attacks, Protectiveness, Semi-Public Sex, Side Story, Voyeurism, Weird Plot Shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-04
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-21 06:07:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3680841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blossemfall/pseuds/Blossemfall, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blue blood, red blood. The grass was dripping with it.</p><p>There's something about the sight that just sets things off.</p><p>Your asking for a mess, love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nepeta's eyes widened and shone with awe as she watched Karkat closely.

Sickles in hand and a violent mind triggered into autopilot. Karkat dashed and swiped, dodged and ducked out of Equius's quick punches and swift attacks otherwise, a devilish grin on chapped lips as noble blue slid down his opponents forearm. As designated moirail, this made Nepeta tense...with a sick amusement.

Karkat was shorter than Equius by a long shot, but he was quick. He was lethal. Light gray skin flashed from one place to another, sort of curly black hair flew about wildly. The colors of dark shades and brightest blues bled together thrillingly, the pulse of pure adrenaline and black romance echoed off in waves. Nepeta couldn't look away.

Long arms and legs supporting a soft and short body, easily bruised, not so easily hurt.

The sloping curves of muscle nearly everywhere, tall and reflexive and firm. Not easily bruised and not easily hurt.

Blue blood, red blood. The grass was dripping with it.

Nepeta chewed her lip anxiously. Her tail twitched, stomach curled. A droplet of olive green raised from how hard she was biting. She did not notice. Her eyes focused on Karkat as he lunged and grabbed Equius by the wrists.

Karkat says something that makes Equius go bright blue, and Nepeta so dearly wished that Equius would have allowed her to sit closer, so she could've heard. But she was stuck watching from this tree branch, straining to hear what low and wrong things Karkat's undoubtedly been spouting this whole time. This was not the first time that Nepeta had insisted on tagging along with Karkat and Equius. She wanted to make sure nobody got hurt, and very well knew to turn around and leave if things started to get "heated". She was to contact "The Highblood", (Eridan), if she felt that they would seriously hurt each other. As much as Nepeta didn't enjoy talking to him, she was aware that the pretentious, sassy water boy was possibly the only one strong enough to stop Equius without dying in the process, and the only one quick enough to pull Karkat back from raging with minimum damage. It helped that Karkat wouldn't be so keen on hurting Eridan, his own moirail.

A hard thud sounded out as a well thrown punch landed, from Equius's fist to Karkat's shoulder. Bones popped, not yet breaking, and Equius was holding back. Karkat could tell, Nepeta could tell.

Karkat wasn't so enthusiastic about this, though.

A flame like his dancestors shot up into his eyes and he lunged, knocking Equius to the ground with a brute force. Nepeta leaned forward as Karkat's hands got tangled into the clutches of Equius's hair, grimaced at the sound that came from her moirail. Undoubtedly, they'd forgotten she was there, or at least she thought they had. Noble blue spread over Equius's cheeks as Karkat shifted, and due to the bigger rocks near the tree, whatever Karkat had done was concealed to her. A green of her own blossomed as Karkat's head ducked out of sight, Equius's shirt rode up, and a quick glimpse showed of something that was blue, not a blush, nor blood. It curled and coiled eagerly around Karkat's fingers. Equius's eyes slid half shut in evident pleasure, pants hanging off of one foot.

This was Nepeta's cue to get the hell out, usually, but if they weren't going to go through the trouble of telling her to go, she wouldn't go through the trouble of going. Not when she could so easily just climb up higher and sit on the edge of the branch, right above them almost. Hidden by thick leaves, she sat silent, and watched.

Karkat's hand squeezed leisurely around Equius's bulge, slipping from base to tip, tip to base. Equius's breathing hitched into a quicker speed, muscles tensed and pupils blown. Karkat leaned down, sucking blue bruises on to Equius's throat, pulling forth the softest of high pitched trills from the heir beneath him. Soon, though, this heirs void would be properly filled.

"Turn over. Hurry up." Karkat growled, feral, raw.

"A-ahn..Yes...Leader." Was Equius's strangled response as he turned over, shakily settling in on his elbows and knees. He knew the drill. Forehead to the floor, body curving upwards like a stretching cat. Legs spread wide, nook dripping readily. A light sheen of sweat made his body slick. Karkat didn't make another move, so Equius resorted to keening quietly and spreading his legs further, glancing over his shoulder at Karkat.

Karkat scoffed, quickly pulling off his own pants and discarding of them carelessly, along with his underpants. His hands gripped firm, muscled thighs, three fingers plunged deep into the ready nook before them, making Equius gasp shortly, cry out in sudden pleasure.  
Karkat covered Equius's body with his own, their bodies fitting the shapes that each of them made. Leaning into Equius's ear, Karkat purred, thrusting his fingers relentlessly. 

"I don't like how you were just holding back on me, Equius." He said lowly, forming his words with sinful sway. Equius fixed a dark glare on Karkat, the hateful look hypocritical as he rocked his hips backwards, grinding greedily against Karkat's fingers.

"Do I hold out on you?" Karkat asked.

"Cease your talking immediately, mutant. I command--" Equius's line was cut off by another sharp, breathy cry of want as Karkat curled his fingers against the exact right bundle of ecstatic nerves.

"What was that?" Karkat asked teasingly, curling and uncurling his fingers against that spot over and over again, harder and faster each time. Equius couldn't talk, could hardly breathe. He gave up quickly.

"F-..Ah..Fiddlesticks." He groaned, not moving his glaze-eyed glare from Karkat's own.

"Go on. Say it, you god damned blood addicted swine. You know you want to." Karkat grinned devilishly, nipping his kismesis's ear tip. And Equius nearly did let out that forbidden fruit of a curse word when Karkat pulled his fingers out. Properness aside, he wanted to throw a tantrum for a second. Then, two seconds past and Karkat was slamming his bulge into Equius, successfully replacing those fingers with something better.

Every harsh thrust knocked the breath out of Equius, and Karkat was left panting. Equipped with a lovely stamina, Karkat pistoned into him with a cruel speed, roughly drilling the machinist until his legs and arms gave out and he could do nothing but pant and moan, cry and beg as he lay sprawled out on the grass, limply. Ten whole minutes passed without Karkat slowing down, or giving any signs that he planned on doing so. But then, out of nowhere, he stopped completely. Equius gave a short sound of confused unhappiness.

"On your back." Karkat grumbled, panting.  
Eager to get back to business, back to being so completely filled, Equius complied. He had a bit of trouble maneuvering himself, what with his legs having almost no feeling left in them and his bulge twisting and coiling around everything. When he was back on his back, he automatically moved his eyes back to Karkat's, spreading his legs again to once again show off his sopping blue nook. This time, he spread his legs as far as they would go, looking at Karkat with a plea in his eyes. He was past the point of pride. It was a sight that Karkat could definitely get used to.

Strong, blood proud Equius Zahhak, reduced to little more than a whimpering sex beast, covered in blue, aching for red, pounded in the pitchest of blacks.

Equius groaned thickly as Karkat's bulge rammed back into him, gripping tightly at the grass under him. Once again, knowing the routine here, Equius attempted to be useful and draped his legs over Karkat's shoulders, bent at the knee.

"Fucking...Legs..so..heavy," Karkat panted, rolling his head to crack his neck. A crackle was heard, and a soft mumble from Equius.

"Is the weight," Equius gasped in another sharp moan. "Too much for you?"

Karkat glared, retaliating the snide remark by adjusting his speed to one horrifyingly slow. He pulled all the way out, hesitated the very few seconds it took for Equius to start up that hideously desperate whimpering sound, then pushed back in so very slowly. Just the tip at first, letting him writhe pathetically for a moment, before pushing all the way back in, until their hips were flushed together. Karkat lingered there for a long, silent moment.

Nothing could be heard but heavy breathing as Karkat ground his hips into Equius, pulling an unexpected purr from the tortured blue bloods parted lips. Karkat repeated these actions until Equius was trembling under his touch, eyes closed in content pleasure. Fast or slow, rough or gentle. It didn't bother him, evidently. He just laid there and trilled, chirping softly as he willingly took what Karkat gave. A light dust of blue made home on Equius's cheeks.

Karkat stared down at Equius, expecting to be angry that he wasn't reacting. But, instead, a strange and warm feeling curled around his blood pusher when he was faced with soft looking, flushed cheeks. Parted lips and too long eyelashes concealing too blue eyes. 

Karkat allowed Equius and his "noble" bloodline one single praise. They made some complicated boys, they did.Someone so brutally strong, so deadly annoying, should not be so damn pretty at the same time. Equius bit his lower lip, rocking his hips up against Karkat. It was only then that Karkat fell out of his haze, looked down, and realized that Equius had taken matters into his own hands. Sometime during the time that Karkat spent staring, Equius had resorted to pailling himself instead. Pressed in a tight squeeze next to Karkat's, Equius had his own bulge thrusting in and out of himself at a ruthlessly fast, pounding speed. Karkat watched silently, eyes widened slightly at the sight, ears twitching at the sound of Equius hoarse moaning, hungry whines and pitchy squeaks as he located the same bundle of nerves that Karkat had earlier. Deciding to help out, Karkat began moving his hips again. 

Equius cried out after his fist drilling thrust, coming from both his nook and bulge. Karkat's and his own bulge kept the material from getting out, causing his stomach to bulge slightly with all the material. The sight triggered something in Karkat's mind, making him thrust faster than he knew that he was capable of. Harder and harder until his vision blurred into black and white, blended together with no start or end anywhere. Equius coo'd delightfully as Karkat released, filling him up even more. His stomach got bigger with the added material. The slurry of red and blue started to drip out of Equius's nook slowly when Karkat pulled out. It seemed like it would take a sweep before all of it was out of him, but then again partners were supposed to go through the process of getting it into a bucket. This included lots of stomach rubbing to speed up the process, but nobody had energy for that now.

Karkat, despite their dark colored quadrant, curled up next to his kismesis in the grass, wrapping tired arms around a sleeping body. He gently stroked Equius's stomach, growling possessively and protectively when even the smallest of insects came too close to Equius, without actually knowing why he was doing it. Karkat didn't know what made him go feral when a little butterfly landed on a flower near the blue bloods head. He didn't get why he automatically pulled Equius closer when the breeze started to get chilly and Equius shivered. He didn't know the "why" behind any of this, because unlike Eridan Ampora, Karkat didn't really care about history. He wasn't exactly majoring in shits given for anatomy, either.

See, if he was Eridan, he'd have known to get the material out of Equius as quickly as possible, unless he wanted a huge mess on his hands.

As far as Karkat was concerned, pregnancy was a gross and stupid thing that humans did. He was completely unaware that the mother grub was a relatively new process, designed merely because the previous Imperial Condescension decided that the natural system of pregnancy was a complete waste of time. Trolls that could be on the battlefield were laid up with grubs, and who was that helping? Nobody, to her. Most trolls of the current generation didn't even know that they were capable of doing it. To keep the pressure on, the were told that pregnancy was disgusting and unnatural. Something to be shunned and ashamed of.

But technically, it was more natural than getting it all into a bucket.

Karkat dozed off, tense and still ready to fight off anything that threatened to come near. 

Nepeta still sat, perched in her tree. She also had a small interest in history, and knew the risks of leaving that material to sit for too long. A sudden worry shouted in her head, urging her to run over there and remove the material herself. But, she knew that going any where near Equius, especially his stomach, would automatically send Karkat into a crazed frenzy of undiluted rage, because of the instincts that were flipped on inside of his body. These instincts would remain unless the material was gotten rid of, and would only get much stronger if the material wasn't removed, causing pregnancy.

She wouldn't go down there.

Even Mituna would know that that was not a good mission to head into. And he didn't even know where babies came from at all.

So, instead, she crept out of her hiding spot and snuck over to the picnic basket that she'd prepared for this little trip. Inside, as always, was food, a few bottles of water, and a fluffy blanket. She quietly grabbed the blanket, tense and afraid with a metallic taste in her mouth. She tip toed over to Karkat and Equius, quickly draping it over them. Karkat twitched, a fatal sounding growl in his sleep.

Nepeta relaxed enough to give them a soft grin before turning on her heel, and absconding the fuck out.

 

=-=-=-=-=-


	2. Chapter 2

Insomnia rang its sleepless song throughout the hazy hills. It swirled and danced musical wind through every rock and blade of grass, eventually finding that abandoned field where Karkat and Equius still laid, safe under the shade of trees and the fluffy plush blanket that had earlier been left by a peeping cat girl. An invisible shield of energy surrounded the two, beating like it had a pulse with every synchronized breath the pair took while curled around each other in a tight ball of warm and cool. 

Sleeplessness found its way though the protective layers, as it nearly always did, and slid its dark magic through Karkat's restless mind. Even a formless thing like insomnia didn't dare to touch Equius, not at all. The blue boy slept on while Karkat bolted upright, breathing heavily, with wide eyes that told the story of a night terrors torment. He glanced around frantically, tense for a second, and then relaxed when he saw that everything was still as it had been earlier. Karkat shifted, staring down at Equius with a look that could both kill and revive, undoubtedly. He gently ran his fingertips over the newly raised curve of Equius's stomach, smaller since last night. Enough of the material had leaked for the size to go down, but not enough for the looming threat to have been exterminated. In fact, these next few hours were the danger zone of time. Once the materials been settled -- which it had already begun doing, but would take a while longer to finish, -- Equius's body would start an automated process, transferring the mixed material from nook to womb over the span of about an hour. During and after that hour, it would simply be too late. 

A doomsday clock was ticking merrily.

And Karkat still didn't know jack shit about anything that was going on. A quiet, long forbidden, long forgotten part of his brain was working behind the scenes, setting off powerful instincts, wants and needs.

"Protect him. Protect it." A quiet mumble instructed from his subconscious. The sound of it was melodic and careful, like a spooked baby rabbit.

Quiet purrs rumbled from between Equius's lips as Karkat continued to rub his softening belly. The sound sent shivers down Karkat's spine, raised goosebumps everywhere. He stared silently down at his kismesis, a fleeting thought reminding him that their quadrant remained. A settled emotion that reminded him that he didn't want to change that, that he still felt very black for the deranged muscle-freak next to him. But, now, the black was different. It had a new color blooming in the background. Not red, as might be expected, but something closer to pale, tinted red. 

What shenanigans this little mishap has started. Pitifully protective hate-lust, that will be a term to turn the century, oh certainly it would be. 

The snapping of a twig in the distance sent Karkat's ears into hyperactive mode, faster than a bullet on steroids. Even from all the way across the little meadow, Karkat could make out the sound of mumbled conversation. It was fuzzy and wordless, just insistent talking against two other voices and the wind. One voice was lighter, female, definitely. The other two, while different, shared the slightly deeper tones accustomed to men. As the intruders got closer, Karkat could make out a blurry blob of bright red, a swipe of blue, and the flick of regal violet. That particular shade of purple soothed his nerves, almost instantly. The familiar flicker of a dorky cape fluttering in the moonlight, however, did nothing to stop Karkat from shifting out of his comfortable position to move in front of Equius. He was more than careful about watching out for Equius's stomach as he moved, settling down into a criss-cross applesauce style of sitting, legs crossed and body tensed. A low growl threatened to erupt at any second.

The might be threats were quickly closing in, and a sudden thought clicked in Karkat's head. Somehow, somebody had gotten the word out to the high bloods and they'd found out about his mutation. His belief in that theory strengthened as that dash of blue appeared again. The deep violet was no longer comforting. Metallic fear spread throughout his body, attacking every shred of calmness and promising calamity. The growl slipped. No. Exploded. The three figures stopped in their tracks. There was a soft murmur between the small group, and after a second, the violet clad visitor strode forward. As the caped intrusion got increasingly closer, the fear started to melt away again, like fluffy ice left under a warm stream of water. Karkat's shoulders relaxed subtly and he made eye contact, unaware of the beastly look in his eyes.

"Kar?" Eridan spoke slowly. He stopped walking when Karkat's growling got louder. Ten feet away was good enough. He wouldn't want to be much closer anyways, with Karkat in this state of mind. Karkat blinked, processing the situation. To trust, or not to trust? That was the question.

He stopped growling, deciding that Eridan would be fine, for now.

"Stay there, don't--" He snapped his head in the direction of a new sound. It was just leaves rustling. Letting out a sigh, he continued. "Don't get any closer than that." Karkat said, looking back at Eridan.

"Oh, Vantas, trust me I'm fine right here. I'll be keepin' all my body parts tonight, thank you." He said, that sassy air to his tone, as always. It made Karkat's grim expression crack into a soft smirk.

"Right." Karkat replied, nodding a bit.

"Mhm, now, I don't suppose you'd mind me callin' Nep an Senior Nubs over here for a little group chat, would you?" Eridan asked, crossing his arms.

"Senior what-- Oh god. Why? Why the back cracking, toe tapping, lusus fapping fuck, is he here?" Karkat groaned, putting an amused expression on his moirails face.

"I'm not sure about all that, a' what you just said, but is that a yes or a no?"

"Fine, whatever. Do whatever the hell you shitstained life forms fucking want. They can't get any closer than you though." Karkat frowned. Eridan gave a slight nod and gave an oddly elegant looking hand wave, beckoning Kankri and Nepeta to come over, which they did. Eridan's arm shot out to stop them both when they got close enough.

"Hold it, eager one an' two. He said he doesn't want you shitstained life forms any closer than this." Eridan snapped his fingers. Kankri proceeded to mumble about slurs and triggers under his breath, while Nepeta simply stuck out her tongue. All three of them fixed curious looks on Karkat, a thing to which he did not respond extremely well.

"Why are you all staring at me like I'm some kind of brain dead unicorn that just stumbled into your respite block with a bowl of shit on my back?" He asked. More trigger mumbling, a stifled giggle.

"Karkat, I think I should take initiative in letting you know that the blanket you are using to cover yourself is beginning to slip. I strongly suggest that you adjust it before it falls lower, which would cause for your, er, lower erogenous zones to be revealed. This, of course, could potentially --" Kankri started up, only to be shut down.

"For the love a' all things holy, do shut the hell up, Kan. It doesn't take a paragraph to tell someone a blanket is slippin'." Eridan scoffed, and Kankri shot him a look, metaphorical spades in his eyes.

"Excuse you?" Kankri stammered, insulted.

"I didn't stutter, so I won't be repeatin' myself, an' I'm not in need a' any excusin', douchecanoe." Eridan said boredly.

The sound of argument mixed with the scent of his moirail caused Equius to squirm in his sleep, agitated. Karkat took immediate notice of this and completely forgot about his visitors, turning quickly. He made a strange sound in his throat, one that Equius promptly made back, even in sleep. Karkat rubbed Equius's stomach, which sent him back into a peaceful resting state.

"You two shut up!" Karkat hissed dangerously towards Eridan and Kankri. They stopped arguing and complied immediately, standing still and silent. Karkat slowly turned back to face them all, tugging the blanket around himself, but making sure that Equius had the most of it. Eridan hesitantly undid his cape, balling it up and looking at Karkat. He gestured towards Equius, requesting permission to put the cape over him, as to provide extra warmth so Karkat would cover up properly.

"May I?" He asked tentatively.

"No you may fucking not." Karkat said immediately. Eridan raised his hands, as if surrendering. He gently tossed Karkat the cape instead. The soft, luxury made cape was soon laid over Equius's body, purple softness giving off a strong heat. The blue blood purred softly. Karkat let his eyes linger on the cape for a moment, like he was waiting for it to explode. His fingers itched to snatch the purple cloth away, but he kept still, pulled back into the rest of the world.

Eridan stared holes into the two of them, upset in a way that most moirails got when hanging around their palemates kismesis.

"Look, Kar, I'm going to go about an' make this whole shindig a' ours a short one. I've got Fef an some dead lusii t' tend to, lest you all want wide range terror, so here's the point. You need to get that mess out a' him, and you'd be smart to be quick about it." Eridan said.

"Tag yourself appropriately." Kankri said coldly.

"Oh, go fuck yourself appropriately. My night job ain't a mystery to nobody here." Eridan scoffed.

"You should still--" For the second time, Kankri was cut off. This time with a more demanding threat. There was a lightly glowing wand pressed to his chest.

"Excuse me, but did you want to die tonight?" Eridan snarled. "B'cause I can make that happen. It'd be nice to get in a little warm up. You know, for when I go kill all a' those poor, mistakes called lusii. Oh, I'm sorry. Did I trigger you?" He spoke sarcastically.

Karkat was up and on his feet in less than a second, blanket still around himself. A part of him ached to just go back to the floor with Equius, especially when the machinist began to shiver again, but that part was ignored in full as he pushed himself in front of Kankri, arms crossed and eyes fixed on Eridan's face with a strong confidence that he'd be fine. It was not the first time that Karkat had gone up against Eridan, armed or otherwise. The seadweller had an unfortunate tendency to get a little too happy with his weapons when provoked, but with Karkat around, they hadn't yet had to hide or bury anyone. 

Eridan stared right back down at Karkat, expression cold and agitated. The air around them intensified, heavier with their stare downs weight. But, as per usual, violet eyes were the first to break contact. Karkat sighed triumphantly, waiting for Eridan to put the wand back in his pocket before he sat back down.

"You both need to calm down." Nepeta piped up quietly. "At least long enough to explain, I'm absolutely sure that it will be the most fleeting of moments, Eridan. Kankri."

Karkat gestured towards Nepeta dramatically.

"The only smart one here is the cat girl. We're fucking saved." Karkat said, sarcasm heavy in his voice. A flicker of hurt flashed across Nepeta's face and she frowned, an embarrassed flush of green raising in her cheeks. Her being upset caused her scent to get stronger, mingled with a hint of something that could only be described as sad. Everyone in the small group was close enough to catch a quick sniff of the smell, but since none of them had a strong enough emotional bond to her, they didn't recognize or react to her specific scent of sadness. Equius, however, caught strong wind of it immediately. His eyelids fluttered and he shuffled around, just on the brink of waking up. Karkat tensed for a second. For whatever reason, his eyes instantly snapped up to Nepeta. She was still green, trembling in a way that was hardly noticeable.

"Stop!" Karkat hissed at her quietly.

"Wha-- Stop what??" She asked.

"Stop doing whatever it is that your doing, your doing something!" He growled. Ironically enough, it was that growl that tipped the scale. Equius's eyes slid open, bleary and confused.

"Nepeta?" He grumbled in reaction to the still strong smell of his moirails sadness, rubbing his eyes.

"Mhm. Right here. Go back to sleep, 'kay?" She said, smiling just a little bit.

"What," He yawned. "What is troubling you so much..." He mumbled. Karkat looked in between them as they talked, like someone watching a ping pong match.

"Nothing! I'm absolutely purrfect." She assured.

"Do not make...such unbecoming...puns..." He said, hardly coherent as he slipped back into the hands of sleep. This time, Nepeta smiled a real smile, chuckling quietly into her fist. Karkat furrowed his eyebrows together and frowned slightly. Eridan laughed quietly when he noticed.

"That right there was this emotion called friendship. You'd have recognized it if you weren't such a rude shit who repels all social creatures with ears, eyes an' or feelin's." He smirked, flipping an unruly wave of onyx hair out of his eyes. It was almost as if someone had bred a child from Mean Girls and Glee. It was sassy gay moirail, starring Eridan Ampora. At any other point in time, this would've been funny, but Karkat was still a bit on edge with all these people being around Equius.

"Friendship isn't an emotion." Karkat snapped. "And your the person-repellent here, fish fuck, not me."

Eridan's expression easily slid into the bitter one he was more used to wearing. "Fine then, if that's how you feel. I s'pose I'll go off an' repel elsewhere. Didn' much want t' be 'round all you filthy dirt bloods anyhow. I've got bodies t' pile now, Fef is waitin'." He snarled, turning on his heel and storming away, head held high. One last glance was spared in Karkat's direction.

"Enjoy the rest a' your night, Karkat." He said, putting pressure on Karkat's full first name to express how generally peeved he was at that moment. With that, the over sensitive hope Prince was off, the crosshairs suddenly buzzing alive in his arms.

With Eridan out of the way, Kankri felt free to speak without the looming possibility of setting the seadweller off and accidentally starting a chain of events that could potentially lead to public displays of pitch hatred, the one thing worse than public displays of flushed affection. He was set and rolling as soon as the seadweller was out of sight.

"As Eridan had earlier begun saying, and I doubt that he'll mind me continuing his statement especially since it will count to greatly benefit everyone involved, Oh, light warning here, for brief pailling and anatomy terms -- I believe it would be in your best interest as well as Equius's if you were to properly remove all of your genetic slurry from inside of his nook, and get it into a bucket as quickly as possible. I am honestly very unamused by how irresponsible you've been tonight, even after I made sure to make you fully aware of all the dangers of quadrants and pailling, and how strongly important it is to remove material from your partner immediately following the end of the pailling session. There are diseases, broken emotional and physical boundaries, so much that could go so very wrong just because of you being lazy. I mean no offense by that comment and I will willingly prepare a full apology if I have managed to offend you in any way." Kankri said, eyes a'light in the way they always were when he started talking for an audience. In this case his audience consisted of three people, one of whom was sleeping, but he didn't seem to care too much.

Karkat stared up at him quietly, paying attention to the parts he felt were important and tuning out the rest. It was a thing that he'd gotten better at since meeting his talkative elder. And when Kankri finally quit talking, Karkat nodded as if he had been completely attentive the entire time. Luckily, he was a decent lier. Not a professional con artist, one term that might be used to describe someone else, maybe Eridan and definitely Vriska, but not a term to describe himself without doing a bit of exaggerating. He could certainly handle pretending to be interested in a topic though, for a short while at least. Being around Kankri on an almost daily basis had nurtured and helped grow that ability. He'd never would have been able to survive, otherwise.

"And what's so fucking important about this that three people needed to come attack in the middle of the goddamn night? I'll take care of it when he wakes up." Karkat said dismissively.

"It'll be too late by then." Kankri said.

"It might already be too late....He's in his breeding cycle, so it all would have happened faster, right?" Nepeta asked, looking at Kankri, who nodded with a grim expression.

"Breeding cycle?" Karkat looked at Equius with an amused expression. "No wonder he was so easy to handle. What do you mean, it'll be too late? Too late for what?" 

"Too late to stop a bloody catastrophe.." Nepeta mumbled, eyes scanning over the wide expanse of the sky, avoiding the glare of the moon.

"It will be too late to get the material out." Kankri spoke. "You won't be able to reach it anymore, because it will have traveled up."

"To his stomach?" Karkat grimaced. "I thought it was just supposed to drip out if nobody did anything to get it out.So what, though? Is it gonna make him sick or something?"

"No, not to his stomach. To his womb. And before you begin, I'd like to make it clear that we do not have time for you to not believe us. Doubt later, act now." Kankri said, pulling a pail from a plastic bag he'd been toting around this entire time.

"Do excuse me for not making you aware of this situation earlier, I will gladly go fetch Eridan if you are triggered in any way, and I understand completely why you would become upset. It was quite rude and inconsiderate of me to pull a pail out of nowhere, but frankly, we are at a loss for time and I didn't have time to go through all the triggers. Priority comes first in drastic situations. Please hurry." Kankri said, dropping the bucket into Karkat's lap. The younger Vantas responded with a sudden look of disgust, flinching away from it. Nepeta, as virginal as she was, covered her eyes and blushed brightly. The girl was a lot less keen on seeing buckets when she wasn't hidden by tree leaves.

"Oh gosh.." She murmured softly.

"Don't be so immature. You've seen them before, undoubtedly." Kankri accused as Karkat picked the bucket up by the handle, using only his fingertips.

"Is it possible for you to maybe not drop that on me?! I don't know where that's been!" Karkat stammered, lightly tossing it to the side.

"Karkat, It belongs to me. I can assure you that it's perfectly clean." Kankri said, exasperated.

"The fact that it belongs to you does not reassure me in the slightest. You and I both know your celibacy is a joke, laughing in its grave like a deranged Morgan Freeman. Eridan is my moirail, for God's sake, don't you think he's made me informed of all your little get-togethers? Or all of you and Cronus's? How are Rufioh and Mituna by the way? I've heard Aranea's bedroom life has been a real drag since your last "visit" to her hive." Karkat scoffed.

Kankri's blank white eyes flashed with a rage that could not be described by words. It was war and hellfire. No, the flames lit in the darkest corners of purgatory, where even the souls of the most terrible monsters were afraid to go. It was a moment that Eridan would've killed to see. 

And to top it all off, Nepeta half raised her hand in the air to ask a question.

"Karkat, who's Morgan Freeman?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, he's a human guy. The one with the fucked up deep voice." He said. Kankri's fists clenched angrily as they talked.

"How dare he..." Kankri thought.

"Ooh, the one from that movie about the girl who was a pale prostitute?" Nepeta asked. To trolls, therapists were called pale prostitutes. 

"No, the one we watched on movie night that one time. When Meenah managed to convince Tavros and Rufioh to draw bulges all over Vriska and Damara? Remember? Same night as the "catnip" incident, I'm pretty sure." Karkat said, thinking back.

"Ugh. Don't remind me. I couldn't think right for days. Gosh, Equius was angry! It was soooo worth it though! Damara didn't wash the bulges off for, what? A month?" Nepeta giggled, recalling the night as well.

Both Karkat and Nepeta broke out into a fit of laughter.

Their giggles sent Kankri's fist colliding with the bark of the nearest tree. He was trembling gently. His rage was the result of him always being around high bloods, accidentally adopting their ways and habits, including the infamous "Highbloods Rage,". 

"Shut up! The both of you, shut up!" He growled, red lines of blood chasing each other down his soft grey skin. Karkat and Nepeta looked up when they heard the snap of wood. Porrim would've been proud, to see her boy acting out with such anger, an emotion he usually kept bottled in.

Kankri's breath was rough and uneven.

Nepeta looked terrified.

Karkat frowned.

"Take him to Porrim.." Karkat mumbled under his breath.

"A-are you sure...? What if she's not home?" She whispered.

"Bring him to Eridan. At least he'll be able to blow off steam for a while. Or Cronus." Karkat said, watching as Kankri's fists lowered back to his sides.

Nepeta briefly wondered how the hell Equius had managed to sleep through this, then remembered that he slept like a rock. One deaf and hidden by metal.

Nepeta nodded and shakily gripped Kankri's fluffy arm. Kankri flinched away.

"I can handle myself." He said. "Nepeta, make sure that your moirail is taken care of properly."

Nepeta nodded stiffly, moving to stand next to Karkat. He watched her closely, making a low noise in his throat when she got too close. She quickly shifted away, and the sound stopped immediately.

Kankri, in a fashion that was closely similar to Eridan's, earlier, stormed away into the woods. They could see him as a bright red dot for a few minutes after he was gone. When the dot of red was out of sight, Karkat braced himself, and turned to Nepeta, who had taken up watching Equius.

"So, seriously. Why were you guys all here? He won't get sick will he?" He asked, knowing that even if this whole thing was a prank, it had to have some measure of seriousness to it in order to drag Kankri out of his in-hive library, and to convince Eridan that Feferi could come second and wait for once.

Nepeta nodded.

"Very sick. Sort of." She said.

"Sort of?" He replied.

"Well. Not exactly sick, Karkat. Kankri wasn't lying about the whole womb thing! You don't have to believe me. I don't purrticularly care whether you decide to believe or not, but I do need you to trust me. Just do this." She urged, gripping the pail by the handle.

"I'll even do it for you, if you'll let me." She said, eyes widened.

Karkat hesitated, not quite taking everything in at once. He took a second to process what she'd said before taking the pail.

"I've got this." He grumbled. Nepeta sighed out in relief.

Karkat simply stared at her, and so, she stared back.

"What?" She asked.

"Is this supposed to be a public showing?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oops, heh. Sorry." She said, closing her eyes and covering them with her hands for extra measure. Using her catlike night-sense and amazing reflexes, she managed to get up and take a few steps back. Once she'd turned around, Karkat got busy. He lifted the cape off of Equius, and in one awkward motion, lifted the blue bloods legs, draping them over his own shoulders before putting the bucket in front of Equius's nook. It wasn't dripping anymore, and he made sure to tell Nepeta this. She responded with a soft sound of worry, to which both Karkat and Equius replied to with a quiet sound of their own. Karkat's was meant to be reassuring, but Equius's was due to the fact that Karkat had begun prodding at his nook.

Karkat lightly rubbed Equius's stomach, trying to coax him back into sleep, but it did not stop Equius from waking up this time. Long, long lashes grazed blue-flushed cheeks, and a stifled grunt pushed past his lips.

Equius stared up at Karkat with blurry confusion.

"Pardon my inquiry, mutant, but what in Her Imperial Condescension's name do you think that you are doing?" Equius asked, glaring through sleep-shining eyes. 

Karkat flinched at the word. "Mutant" was practically his second name when it came to Equius, only followed by "Leader" or simply "Vantas" if the blue blood was in a particularly good mood. It was a rare occurrence whenever Equius called him by his proper name, and the last time it had happened was during "the catnip incident", a story often recalled with laughter and regret on many faces.

"According to Eridan, Kankri and Nepeta, I'm apparently exterminating our undeveloped hate fetus." Karkat said calmly, still blatantly disbelieving the story.

Equius furrowed his brow.

"That is foolish. Do not utter such meaningless drool speak, Vantas." Equius said, shifting up on to his elbows to look down at Karkat.

"Gladly." Karkat hummed sarcastically, still more concentrated on ghosting two fingers over Equius's nook.

"Hold still, damn it. I'll never get this shit out if you don't stop squirming like a dehydrated worm finding water in the fucking desert." Karkat snapped, looking up at him.

"I am not certain that I understand." Equius spoke, blandly.

"Sit still and behave yourself." Karkat said, going back to Equius's nook.

Equius tensed.

"I'm certain that you could find a better way to convey your...Orders." Equius said, thighs twitching subtly for a second. Karkat rolled his eyes and didn't answer, going back to his work. He pushed first the tips, then the whole of two fingers deep into Equius's nook, sure that it would sting due to the lack of excessive lubrication that came along with arousal. Equius let out a sharp breath, clutching grass in his fists out of pain. Equius's body, realizing that something was happening, began slicking up his nook to ease the pain. It didn't happen quickly enough though, because by the time that Equius's nook was wet enough to take Karkat's fingers, Karkat had pulled out. His fingers were coated in the slippery blue of Equius's slick, which he promptly wiped off on to Equius's arm.

"Ugh." Karkat made a sound of disgust.

"If you are done with rudely forcing my body to participate in your disgusting low blood excitements, I do think I'd like to get up now." Equius said boredly, using the back of his hand to wipe away the droplets of sweat that had begun to gather on his forehead. "Whereas I am -- In the name of noble blood,-- very capable body wise, I'm really not feeling this at the moment."

"Ha. Yeah, and that's exactly why the grass is now blue instead of green." Karkat said, tossing Equius's legs off of his shoulders and abandoning the conversation in favor of feeling around for proper pants so that he could leave the blankets. It didn't even take a full minute to locate the picnic basket where the clothes were, and upon finding it, he pulled out his usual sweater and pants combo.

Also in the picnic basket, there was a sleeveless tank top with a blue cancer symbol on it. Karkat, rolling his eyes, grabbed that too.

It was old tradition, in both red and black quadrants. 

Whoever came first during a pailling session had to wear their partners symbol and color afterwards. This was a stupid tradition, in Karkat's mind, but Equius insisted on following through with it. He did agree that he wouldn't be wearing any mutant red though, so they designed the symbol in blue instead.

In a ball, in the corner of the basket, was Karkat's dreaded shirt of long sleeves, decorated with a blue Sagittarius sign. 

That blue was a nice color, Karkat would admit to only himself, in private. A nice color, fitting of a proud leader like himself. Sometimes he even enjoyed wearing it, pretending what life would be like if blue was his own color.

But, it was not his color. It was Equius's color, and that made it a dreadful thing to be burdened with wearing.

Banishing all thought of the distasteful garment, Karkat hastily yanked on his clothes, casually tossing Equius's clothes to where the boy was standing with a blanket tied around his waist. The bundle of clothing hit Equius in the chest, then fell to the grass below, with Equius watching in amusement.

"I think you should work on your aim." Equius said. "And perhaps take up the skill of telling others when they are to expect to have things thrown at them. This behavior is unacceptable for someone like yourself, one who calls himself leader."

Karkat glanced over, glaring.

"Well maybe I think you should work on your shut the fuck up. That's an order." He said.

Equius opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it, huffing unhappily.

"Did you get anything yet, Karkat?" Nepeta asked, a worried scent radiating off of her in a way that made both Equius and Karkat shift uncomfortably.

"Anything of what?" Equius asked, eager to sooth his moirails anxieties, if only to make that choking smell go away.

"Nope, nothing. Just a lot of blue." Karkat replied, becoming a tad nervous himself, though he still didn't exactly believe any of this.

Nepeta's scent thickened and rushed from her, the waves rough as a tsunami. The air was filled with her worry, a smell that was a mix of brimstone and damp roses.

Equius held his breath, the smell taking a strong effect on him. Karkat gagged, unsure what the smell meant for Nepeta. It wasn't like his own scent, or anyone's really, seeing as how everyone had a differing scent for every emotion, scents that were specific to that troll only. To Karkat, it didn't smell like worry, it just smelled like Nepeta, but so much stronger.

Was someone burning roses?

It smelled like someone was burning roses.

Nepeta whined, low in her throat.

"Ohnononono," She began repeating, over and over again. This was the straw that tipped the weight of volatility and belief.

Karkat, rather suddenly, believed. The itch of doubt was gone, replaced with worry of his own that only added to the overload of smells. He felt like a bag of bricks had been lifted from his chest, only to be put back again, heavier than before.

His heart stuttered with pulses of fright, something rushed from him in rough waves so strong, that even from over a hundred miles away, at the seaside, Eridan stopped and glanced over his shoulder, a strange feeling tickling his chest as he sniffed the air, only to smell nothing out of the ordinary. Just sea breeze and fresh blood. He missed his next shot. Feferi would chastise him for the slip up later.

"Ooh, but I bet you could still get it if you hurry!" She smiled.

"It's too late." He replied.

From in her living room area, Kanaya paused mid-sentence and suddenly stood up, peeking out of the window as an invisible something made her think of Karkat. But, upon investigation, he was nowhere around. Rose would analyze her non-stop for the rest of that night.

"Karkat?" She had called out of the window.

Sprawled out on Cronus's couch, buried under blankets, even Kankri's ears perked up at a strange feeling of danger and a thought of Karkat. Cronus would stare at him, confused, for a while after.

"That was strange,..." Kankri mumbled.

It rang so crisp and clear, that from a galaxies distance away, even though she'd never met Karkat, Her Imperial Condescension had a passing thought of the brightest shade of red. One that reminded her of a grave dug a very long time ago. Her eyes went to her Helmsman. He'd felt it too.

"Something's happened." She said, pursing her lips.

 

Equius looked at Karkat, and in a low voice, a shaky tone, asked:

"What did you do?"

Karkat's breathing quickened. His chest rattled, his heart pounded. Everything began to twist and spin and he believed, but he couldn't see and Oh God.

The last things he heard before he passed out were simple things to mark the beginning of a terror.

"It's too late.."

"Karkat?"

"That was strange,..."

"Something's happened."

And in a quiet whisper, his own voice.

"What did I do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a handy list of head canons that I will use throughout the story. A few are kind of really important, so go ahead and take a look! I'll update this as necessary.
> 
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YgEXU_VGY24EKCe8nQBvgJWn6RPUWgwPdI7-cWQcfV0/edit?usp=sharing


	3. Chapter 3

The moment Karkat fell into the dark embrace of sleep he was immediately thrown into what he feared was a nightmare, as it so usually was. After what seemed like forever of nothing going wrong he had finally managed to convince himself that he had actually went to his happy place for once. “Might as well take advantage of whatever kind of sick joke this bullshit turns out to be.” He mumbled as he sat down. He sat in a patch of soft green grass that seemed to just appear out of nowhere, littered in small flowers and glowing with a golden light that wasn’t there.

“I guess this isn’t too bad...” He said as he closed his eyes with a soft sigh. He kept his eyes closed until he heard something that sounded like a giggle. Unlike the sinister laughing that usually plagued the dark pits of his head, this laugh was lighter. Melodic. It sent a chill of ice down his spine, and he -- on instinct -- tensed and prepared for the worst. Come hell or heaven, he knew that staying put would lead to his painful demise, and so he shakily stood up and walked around for a bit. It was easier to face it first than to be caught shaking. His footwork was quick and nearly silent until he saw a young troll girl playing by herself, making him take in a sharp breath and falter. The girl couldn’t be anything from here, happy place or not. He knew that his ‘happy place’ was likely worse than his unhappy place. The girls force was pulling him in, he felt drawn to her, in the close way he often felt with Eridan. Like an urge to coddle and protect, whatever this beautiful.. Thing, was. She did not seem to notice him as he inched closer, continuing with her singing in an unbothered fashion.

“Who the hell are you?" He asked, growling to get her attention, voice and expression grim as he watched her, waiting for any sudden move she might make. Poor Karkat, so very anxious, terrified but going still. She looked up and smiled, a thing that both pushed and pulled him, then got up and ran over. Karkat stepped back a bit in surprise, both hands automatically reaching for a pair of sickles that were not there, and never were in this place, unfortunately. After about ten steps she slowed down to a walk, suddenly taking on a look of harsh pain and distress. Right before his eyes she started to flicker and glitch. Exactly like a faulty computer image. Her form was like a scrambled mess of a sparky slideshow. A show that pixilated and broke into bits and pieces of Karkat, of Equius, and of herself, tears streaming down her cheeks from what he could see of the image. A metallic feeling spread throughout his body and he choked on the air he breathed in, eyes wide.

She took another step closer to him, crying more now. The glitching only grew worse as she sobbed harder and harder. 

"It hurts!” She sobbed, making Karkat take a half step forward, then a big one backward, shaking. She sobbed as she kept glitching, clenching her fists so hard she started to bleed. “Please! Help me!” She cried as blue blood ran down her hands from her claws. It was a color that sent chills of fear through Karkat’s spine. Red. Horrid, sickening red. Then blue, then red, blue, red, flickering scarily. “Why?! Why did you do this!?” She sobbed as she got close enough to touch him. He knew it. The thought of it clouded his head, a poison to suffocate his sanity even further. He’d passed it on, all of his own misfortune. His mutation was in this girl, yet another ruined life. A thing meant for wonder, crushed beneath him, left to crumble and wither away like a rose with no hope left and-- He woke up with a piercing scream of ice cold terror, sitting up so quickly that a small wave of sopor came crashing into his face. His shriek was then mingled with the sound of disgust he made, breathing heavily as he wiped the slime away, looking down at himself.

He didn’t recall ever coming home, or getting into his recooperacoon. The memory of walking, trembling and whimpering into Eridan’s sleeves as he was brought here, were blocked at the moment. He crawled out of his ‘coon and looked around. Seeing nobody else around he got cleaned off and dressed. He began to check around his hive, looking to see if there was anybody else around. The entire place seemed deserted until he got into his living room, where he saw Nepeta, Equius and Eridan lounging around like they belonged there, which they did not. Equius and Nepeta were talking quietly to each other. The moment Karkat walked into the room Eridan’s head snapped up from the book he had been scanning through and he quickly got up, catching the attention of the two other trolls as he glided over and grabbed Karkat by his arm. “Tell me that all of this shit was a fucking dream, Ampora.” Karkat demanded rather quietly as Eridan pulled him into the kitchen.

“First of all, calm the hell down. Secondly, no. You’ve fucked up royally, you don’t get the dream card this time.” Eridan said as the door shut behind them.

“Yeah? Thanks. I was completely oblivious to that totally not obvious fact that you just said right there, Eridan.” Karkat growled as he pulled his arm free. 

“I am going to ignore that extremely rude sarcasm, bein’ the amazin’ kind of person that I am. I was just wonderin’ how you’re takin’ all this.” Karkat looked at Eridan partly defiant and partly worried that he somehow knew about his nightmare.

“I am perfectly fucking fine.” Karkat said, sounding bitter as he rubbed his wrist. Eridan rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, right. I could smell your distress even past all that disgustin’ slime.” Eridan spoke firmly, gesturing in the general direction of Karkat’s respiteblock. “You were neck deep in fright, an’ I want to know why.”

“It was nothing, Eridan. Jesus christ, I am fine.” Karkat insisted.

“Dont make me coddle it out of you, Vantas.” Eridan threatened.

“It was another nightmare. Okay? Nothing special, nothing new. Now leave me the fuck alone.” Karkat said as he quickly pushed past the still unhappy violet blood, walking into the living room before Eridan could question him more. Nepeta looked back up at him as he walked in. 

“Karkitty! You’re awake.” She smiled, standing up excitedly. Karkat looked between her and Equius. “You were asleep fur a full day. We were pawsitively worried.” She added looking at Equius who looked away and nodded, muttering something very unworried sounding that nobody bothered to treat with a response. Even Karkat knew not to bother with the Sagittarius as this point, seeing as how it was Equius who was carrying a child, in a womb that he’d never known was there before. Somehow though, Equius seemed to be holding his own a lot better than Karkat. How indignified.

“An entire day? Fuck. Did Kankri stop by?” Karkat asked. Nepeta frowned a bit, looking confused.

“Worrying about your swill blooded elder at such a time is highly unacceptable, and I refuse to stand for it.” Equius snarled, finally facing Karkat with an enraged look in his eyes. He was raw, fierce. Karkat simply frowned.

“What do you intend to do about this?” Equius asked, standing up and shooting an angry glare downwards, to his slightly bloated stomach. Karkat’s eyes followed suit.

“I--” Karkat started only to be cut off.

“Nepeta, we are leaving.” Equius said, trembling from how much anger he was bottling in. The air was thick with the smoky, hot leather scent that Equius radiated. Nepeta was obviously growing agitated by the familiar scent, as was Karkat. Eridan quickly grabbed Karkat by his shirt collar as the Vantas tried to go after Equius and Nepeta, holding him back until the duo had left and closed the front door with an angry slam that stirred the slumber of Crabdad.

Karkat fought and squirmed against Eridan, but it was a worthless attempt. Eridan had both strength and height on Karkat, and could easily hold him in place with no trial.

“Eridan let go! Get the fuck off of me, goddamnit, let me go!” Karkat yelled.

“Shoosh.” Eridan said, staring straight forward.

“Don’t you fucking shoosh me, you giant prick, let me--” Karkat’s voice was muffled as Eridan held a hand to his mouth.

“Fine. Shut th’ hell up, then. S’that better f’ you?” Eridan asked sarcastically, merely flinching as Karkat bit at his palm. Drops of violet were raised then.

“Just let him go, Kar. S’not gonna be forever. Give’em time to calm ‘is shit an’ then I’ll have Nep drag ‘im back, a’right?”

Karkat’s eyes blazed like fresh fire, and he did not answer.

“Vantas.” Eridan prompted, trying to get Karkat to talk using that strict tone that he used so rarely. Karkat simply remained silent as he could manage, burning holes into the empty space around them with the force of his glare. He knew the silence would eventually get to be too much for Eridan to handle, for whatever reason the sea dweller despised it when it was too quiet for a long period of time. Karkat was right in this assumption, as it was only a few long and drawn out minutes before he could feel Eridan tensing up, becoming uncomfortable.

It was a pretty low move on his part -- fucking with his own moirails anxiety issues in such a way -- but he felt as if it were the only way that he could get out of this situation. He’d deal with Eridan and his issues later, and deal with his own priorities now.

Another three minutes crept by slowly, and Eridan dropped his hands to his sides. He was breathing strangely, the way he did when he either felt scared or was about to have a panic attack. Feeling just a little terrible, Karkat turned when he moved away from Eridan, facing him.

“Eridan.”Karkat nudged him gently, drawing back Eridan’s attention.

“Yeah?” Eridan replied. Karkat only felt that much worse when the violet bloods usually brash tone was reduced to a quiet whisper. It was not enough to change his mind, however.

“You should go and chill for a while. Listen to some music or something, alright?” Karkat papped Eridan on the cheek, and he nodded, looking away again.

“Whatever.” Eridan mumbled. “You’ve got to stay where I can see you though.”

“Yeah, okay. Just go sit down.” Karkat said, watching as Eridan moved from him and walked into the bedroom, heading for the nice beanbag in the corner. They didn’t do piles, they hosted jams on bean bags like sensible people would. A pile of bean bags, maybe, but no other exceptions. Karkat walked in a few moments after, quickly going for his laptop and sitting down in a bag across from Eridan, positioned so that Eridan couldn’t see what he had on his laptop screen and hoping that he wouldn’t ask to see it. As soon as he was comfortable in his seat he opened Trollian, tapping twice on Feferi’s chatbox, glad to see that ‘cuttlefishCuller’ was online.

 

carcinoGeneticist began trolling cuttlefishCuller at ??:?? time.

CG: FEFERI.  
CC: )(ello karcrab!  
CC: W)(ATS UP??? 38D  
CG: HEY. I NEED YOU TO COME GET ERIDAN.  
CC: W)(at did )(e do *t)(is* time? 38/  
CG: NOTHING. I JUST NEED TO BE ALONE FOR A WHILE.  
CC: Is somefin wrong???  
CG: WHAT. NO IM FINE.  
CC: Are you s)(ore aboat that?  
CG: YES, NOW STOP MAKING PUNS AND COME RETRIEVE YOUR FISH FUCK FROM MY ROOM.  
CC: FIN---------------E.  
CG: BE CAREFUL NOT TO STAB ANYONE WITH THAT TRIDENT THERE.  
CC: No promises!!!!!!!!!!!! 38D  
CC: )(e)(e)(e

cuttlefishCuller stopped trolling carcinoGeneticist at ??:?? time.

Karkat leaned back a bit and let out a slight sigh. Now all that he could do was wait for Feferi to get there. He quickly glanced up to check and see how Eridan was doing, a bit worried about him even though he wouldn’t admit it out loud. Eridan was still laying on the bean bag, unmoved. There were earbuds in his ears, loudly playing something that Karkat couldn’t make out the words to. Stupid sea dwellers and their complicated sea dwelling language. The tune was familiar though, Eridan liked that song, that much Karkat knew for a certain. A while of long moments that Karkat spent watching --looking away--, watching more, slipped past with a calm ease. Tranquility was only partially tainted with worry, for it was difficult to remain worried about things like this, things hard to believe, things that one would rather not believe were actually true. Thoughts of blue floated through his mind often. Electric blue, Equius’s blue. One shade brought shivers and the other brought urges to protect. Eager to do away with his thoughts, Karkat used his feet to push his bean bag next to Eridan’s, only to find his moirail was half-asleep. There was two reasons why Karkat did what he did next. The first was, he didn’t want Eridan going out without sopor, the second being he was simply bored. In a silly manner closely related to Nepeta, Karkat ‘tackle pounced’ the tired sea dweller. Eridan made a sound like a stressed out whale, flailing his arms and trying to sit up.

“Th’ hell are you doin’, Kar?!” Eridan squeaked, suddenly wide awake.

“I’m waking you up. Feferi is coming to get you.” Karkat said, scooting away.

“Eh? She is? Why?” Eridan questioned, sitting up at attention now.

“Hell if I know, shes your girlfriend. Ha.”

“That isn’t even fuckin’ funny, okay. Shut up.” 

“Calm down,” Karkat said, looping his arms around Eridan’s waist and tugging him closer.

“What’s got you in such a pleasant mood?” Eridan asked, closing his eyes again.

“Am I not allowed to be happy? Maybe, today, the shit stain that is usually present on every article of lifes clothing has finally been put through the wash. I should be asking you what has you in such an unpleasant mood.” Karkat said, rolling his eyes. He was the farthest from being in a pleasant mood, and doubted that he would be for a very long time. Eridan re-opened one eye to give Karkat a skeptical glance.

“I’ve got an idiot for a moirail an’ my naps been interrupted. I’ll likely spend the rest a’ my day slaughterin’ lusii, so theres that. Yeah.” Eridan shrugged.

“Well thanks for being sad and depressing. That can’t be all that you two do.” Karkat said.

“Pretty much,” Eridan sighed. “Sea tune karaoke and bullets everywhere. Livin’ the life.”

“You know that you don’t have to do that, right? There’s this crazy thing, it’s called saying ‘No’. You can do that, just in case you weren’t aware of your speaking abilities. You don’t have to.” Karkat frowned.

“Yeah I do.” Eridan said plainly. That was the end of the conversation. Karkat did not attempt to press further into the situation, he knew that Eridan would not answer, or at least that he’d be difficult about it. He always was whenever this particular topic was being discussed. Then, as if their conversation had beckoned her, the sound of Feferi knocking on the front door sounded out. Not a moment later she was jumping up and down in front of the window, waving her hand.

“Open the doooooooor!” She shouted in a song-like tone. Eridan stood up and shuffled over to the front door, not bothering to give Karkat any sort of proper goodbye, only a glance and a bored looking wave before he left. When Eridan left with her, he usually stayed gone for a few days. He’d rarely returned before three days. Karkat could see as Feferi climbed up on to Eridan’s back, and he could hear them until their shadows went over a hill. Once they were out of his sight, Karkat stood up and grabbed his coat, ready to leave himself. His head was starting to hurt, and his anxiety starting to spike the longer he was away from that damned blue blood. It felt like a fever. When he coat was on, hood up and all, Karkat left his hive and started running. Equius did live quite far away, after all. The journey would be a long one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep! We updated! And I meant to say we. I helped bring this chapter into existence. You're welcome. Enjoy~.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~Blossemfall~~~~~~~~


	4. Chapter 4

Karkat made quick work of his persistent canter, but despite his medal worthy sprint, he’d not be receiving any type of reward. Not if he continued stopping like this. Before he’d even hit a five-minute check point, Karkat had had to pull to a stop. Standing near a tree, and taking in heavy breaths, Karkat glared in the direction of his hive. It was still fully visible, along with all the hives surrounding it. He had not made it far.

The reason for his stopping was, he had realized, that he had no idea how to navigate his way from this tree to Equius’ hive. He’d certainly been there many times before -- He shuddered at the memories -- but he still could not remember exactly how to get there. And it’d be a shame for him to get lost in high blood territory, unarmed and unprepared. Karkat settled back against the tree, vaguely remembering a road Nepeta had once shown him. It went in between two hills, was hidden by little clusters of trees. The road started by the forest edge, stretched for a half a mile --Passing Karkat’s neighborhood--, went behind a waterfall, and then past Equius’ hive. Well, Vriska’s hive. You had to figure your own way across the gap that separated blue from blue. Nobody knew where the path went after that. Nobody had ever thought to follow it all the way back. Karkat grumbled nonsensically under his breath. Now he’d have to go all the way to the fucking forest. Great. 

Karkat pushed himself away from the tree, shrugging out of his jacket, before he started walking in the general direction of Nepeta’s cave-hive and the forest with it. At least going this way was safer. The local olive bloods were a lot less likely to lynch him on sight, less likely than those who lived in the opposite, higher direction. Still, he kept his speed at a light run, every once and a while he’d get this feeling something was following him. Something he probably didn’t want to tangle with. Even though, whenever he glanced over his shoulder, nothing was there the feeling of unease was heavy and thick. He forced himself to keep going. Keep going. Keep fucking going, Vantas.

Or they’ll catch you.

Karkat’s breath hitched and he trembled, redraping his jacket over his shoulders. He knew that just being alive was a threat to, well, his life. But after Equius? He didn’t even have the basic troll defense methods on his side. His horns were tiny. They didn't make him look dangerous - Unlike Terezi’s needle sharp ones, or even Tavros’. He couldn't use the them to defend himself. His claws were sharp enough, but were only useful close range. And he did not want to be within close range of anything that wanted his soul on a fork. Which was everything, and everyone.

Eventually, Karkat arrived at the small cluster of hives that he recognized as Nepeta’s neighborhood. Though he saw Meulin sitting with Kurloz under a somewhat nearby tree, he put his hood up and kept walking, hoping they didn't see him. A few breaths later he was at the forest's edge. The path stretched in front of him, curving right under his feet and flowing off into the distant right. The path was starting to feel somewhat familiar and he could almost remember parts of the way. Little rocks and distinct clusters of bush peppered the long road ahead, and Karkat was just a lost vision amongst the scenery. He walked, feeling heavy and hazy as he moved through the fog. The cool, swirling fog…Droplets of wetness pecked his cheeks, arctic, unforgiving as it numbed the feeling in his skin. Karkat stumbled, choking on air as the colors around him blurred and got closer, brighter. Brighter, brighter, until he lost balance and fell. The fog was still holding him as he passed out against the dust blowing path. And he fell back into the darkness that was his subconscious. 

 

When Karkat awoke, it was with a loud groan, and the burning feeling of Alternia’s sun against his skin. Covering his eyes with his arm -- luckily protected by his hoodie sleeve, -- he glanced around. No forest. He wasn’t near the forest, but he was drenched to the bone. He wasn’t near the landmarking waterfall either. In fact, he didn’t know where he was. The path was still moving forward underneath of him, but it wasn’t any part of the path that he’d ever seen before. Had he walked too far?

No. Impossible.

He didn’t remember walking anywhere at all. When had he left his hive?

Wait, wait. Yes, he remembered leaving his hive. He was going to see...Who had he gone to see?

Kankri? No. No, Kankri didn’t live near the path. Nepeta did, though.

Had he been going to see her? No, Nepeta was with….

A pang of instinct and need hit Karkat hard in the gut.

Equius. He had gone out to find Equius, and he needed to get the hell up and keep walking, now.

But he didn’t know where he was. How could he walk somewhere if he didn’t know where he was?

Too fucking bad, asshat, get the fuck up and get moving! Go!

Karkat stood up and groaned again, feeling sick from the heat of the sun. His stomach churned and he lurched forward, as though he were about to throw up. He didn’t. He was fine, and he could continue to be fine. Karkat coughed roughly into his fist, vision blurry. When his vision cleared something brightly colored stood out against the dull path. The free corners fluttered in the faint breeze and a rock covered most of the paper so it didn’t fly away as he staggered towards it, falling to his knees to yank the paper up into his grasp. In the most vibrant, chilling red…

I Am Sorry

Please Take Care Of Your Throat I Could Not Handle It I Am So Sorry

Karkat slowly raised a few fingers to his throat, trembling. Only then did he notice the dulling pain in his neck. Pulling back, he gagged at the sight of the two drops of carmine sullying his pale grey fingers. He wiped his fingers clean quickly on his pants and put his hand against the bite mark on his neck. His survival instincts briefly took over and the fear and need to hide his blood nearly swamped him. He had to hide. He had to hide and take care of his neck before anybody else saw.

So, not thinking straight, Karkat stood up and started running in the wrong direction. Further and further down the path, pushed on by fear and adrenaline, Karkat kept going until he reached the end. The end of the path. 

In front of him there were trees. Just trees. A solid wall of trees. No gaps in between them, or anything behind them. And they were not any kind of odd trees, just oddly normal. Except for the one in the middle, which had bark chipped from the middle-front. With his think-pan still addled by fear it took him a few moments to recognize what the shape in the bark was. A simple V, that was what was there. And anywhere else, a V would - obviously, - be not scary at all. But if you found a ‘V’ engraved into the bark of a tree, one had better hope it was somebody's initials.

Otherwise, you had gotten yourself fuck deep in Drinker territory. And, now, that happened to be the misfortunate case.

Karkat’s breath hitched, and he almost feel his blood turning. He was the personification of unease. Especially when the dense feeling of hot, wet air behind him suddenly had another new presence. And a soft glow was cast, like a white shadow before him. Karkat’s hands gripped his sides, yearning for the sickle that, again, he’d not brought along. 

“Karkat.” A powerful, yet -- gentle, voice spoke behind him. Karkat let out a heavy breath, trembling as he recognized the voice.

He turned around.

“Fucking hell, Porrim! Don’t fucking sneak up on me like that!” He snapped. Porrim crossed her arms, pursing her lips a bit.

“Where are we? How the hell did I fucking get over here!” He demanded.

“Calm down.” She said, hands moving to rest on her hips. “You are alright. You aren’t hurt. And you won’t fix anything by throwing a tantrum.” 

Karkat was almost embarrassed to be scolded in such a way. But he did calm down. Like Kanaya, Porrim had been a mother figure to him, somewhat, though her affections were mostly reserved for Kankri -- who would, certainly, much rather she keep them to herself instead. Even so, with Karkat as the angrier, much more violent Vantas, some twist of irony made it so that it was Kankri who needed watching over to ensure that nothing disastrous happened. It was the elder Vantas who tended to find the most trouble, what with his clumsy naievity, and sharp tongue. And Porrim was the one who was there to guide him. Just as she did now, with Karkat.

Porrim gently took Karkat by the arm, ignoring his defiant flinch, and leaned down to scoop him up bridal style. Which Karkat was having none of.

“Put me down! What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Maryam! I have a limit! This is the fucking limit, alright, put me down!” He wriggled and shouted and cursed. Porrim merely looked ahead.

“Where were you heading?” She asked.

“What?” Karkat asked, exasperated, confused.

“Where were you heading before you...Fell asleep.” She asked, looking away from him with a look of disappointment.

“......To Equius’. Why--OAH!” Karkat’s question was cut off as Porrim began jetting off in the direction of the blue bloods hive.

 

It was terrifying how fast she moved. It was delirious has quickly -- not even five minutes, -- they got there.

And, when Porrim simply dumped him on the ground in front of the hive, albeit gently, raw fear still seeped through his bloodstream. 

Karkat blinked. And she was gone. He could still feel her jade-blooded warmth, lingering on his skin.

At that moment, Karkat went completely blank. He had shut down. His mind, thoughts, everything.

Empty.

Everything had become too much to handle. He couldn’t process it.

It vaguely reminded him of what Sollux had once described, as rebooting. Like a computer. Just crashing, emptying out, and rebooting back into factory settings.

Faintly red tinted tears rolled in a steady stream down his cheeks, and his chest raised and fell in ragged shakes.

He didn’t even notice the door opening.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back, babes! Here's your Christmas upd8, as silently promised! And some music to go along. Btw, Chapter music is gonna be a thing now.
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tcu_h--UvWU

When Karkat woke, there was a mix of cool and warm around him. On one side, Equius, on the other, Nepeta. He was between them, laying on the couch.

They were both asleep.

And from the look of outside, he’d been out for a long time. Blearily, he could remember --

 

 

Karkat blinked. And she was gone. He could still feel her jade-blooded warmth, lingering on his skin.

At that moment, Karkat went completely blank. He had shut down. His mind, thoughts, everything.

Empty.

Everything had become too much to handle. He couldn’t process it.

It vaguely reminded him of what Sollux had once described, as rebooting. Like a computer. Just crashing, emptying out, and rebooting back into factory settings.

Faintly red tinted tears rolled in a steady stream down his cheeks, and his chest raised and fell in ragged shakes.

Rebooting. Just, rebooting.

Equius had been alerted to Karkat’s being there when, well, when he caught wind of his kismesis’ scent. Mingled with tears, Equius had seen Karkat cry. He knew the scent, and it made him queasy. So he’d gone outside, accidentally knocking the door against Karkat’s head.

He wasn’t blinking. Barely breathing.

Tears fell heavier.

Equius took in a long breath, grimaced, and scooped him up. Bringing him into the house, only then did he notice how the temperature difference was affecting the redblood. He was shivering, bad.

Too tired, too stressed to care, Equius tucked him in between Nepeta and himself.

 

Yes, all of that. He remembered it, but, it was as if a single drop of water had been added to an ocean. It was mixed up, lost. Nearly impossible to recapture. 

Now, awake and somewhat functioning, Karkat got up. His feet hit the floor with a soft thud, and he tensed when he felt the odd coolness of Equius’ hive floor. He wondered briefly how long it had taken Nepeta to adjust. She, herself, was a low-midblood as well. But she didn’t seem to off put by the lingering chilliness of the area. Karkat shook off the thought and took a step forward, bracing himself, this time, for the coldness. However, he didn’t get farther than that step before his hand was grabbed from behind.

Karkat leaped again, letting out a yelp that woke up Nepeta. Upon turning his head, red, shaken eyes met with ones of noble blue. Equius didn’t look amused by his jumpiness. Karkat’s eyes wavered as he watched the highblood for a second, breathing in and out haphazardly, slowly calming back down.

“What the hell, Zahhak!” Karkat accused sharply, yanking his hand away.

“You were outside. I brought you in. Next time, if you don’t want to be brought in, maybe you won't take it upon yourself to lie down and have a panic attack in front of my door.” Equius replied blandly.

Karkat responded with a frown, and furrowed eyebrows.

Equius continued.

“Furthermore, what, exactly, are you doing here? I thought my actions would serve in saying that I didn’t want to have any further communications with you. At least for the time being, considering the blatantly rude and unacceptable circumstances. Couldn’t Ampora hold you?”

“Eridan’s with Peixes. Duty calls.” Karkat snarled.

“I see.” Equius pursed his lips. “Well. You seem alright now. Goodbye.” He said, sitting up.

“What?” Karkat frowned more, bristling.

“Equius...” Nepeta murmured, not catching either of their attentions.

“You’re still unwanted here. You’ve disgraced me. The planet even. Just as with your hideous carmine hue, you’ve tossed aside the rules of naturality,” He spoke, full of contempt.

“Equius!” Nepeta said, louder, sharper. That time, red and blue eyes turned to her. Both shot through with raw rage.

“Both of you, calm down, now!” She said, taking on a firm, demanding tone. Neither of the boys had ever heard such power in the sweet girl's voice. Her accent boomed thickly with her words, mixing her Alternian-”French” and “Australian” tones. “All this arguing is doing nobody any good! We’re getting nowhere and at this rate I’ll have to auspistice between you! And nobody here wants that! I promise.” She glared at both the boys, olive eyes blazing with anger.

Equius and Karkat looked at her, silent. Karkat took on a somewhat shocked expression, while Equius settled into a frown. The bluebloods nose wrinkled and his brows curved down as he felt the anger and frustration boom off of his moirail.

“My apologies, Nepeta. I shouldn’t behave so crudely.” He murmured, sounding legitimately ashamed of himself. 

“If you did that, wouldn’t that break you two’s ‘soul-bound’ moiraillegence?” Karkat asked, crossing his arms.

Nepeta, then, finally snapped. “It is really not the time for that, Karkat!” She said, raising her voice and clenching her fists. It was easy enough to forget that this small, giggly girl was actually more savage than either of the two surrounding males, even put together. The tone of her voice shocked that reminder back into the both of them.

Watch out for this one, Karkat thought. She’ll tear you apart. Easy.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll shut the hell up now. But I’m not fucking leaving, you get that right?” He said, shifting his eyes to Equius.

“And why not?” Equius replied.

“Because. Because-- God damn it, Equius! Why can’t I? Answer me that fucking question!” Karkat snapped.

“I’ll not have you flipping flushed on me over this..Unfortunate incident. It will be dealt with accordingly, and then I may consider allowing you the privilege of my company again.”

Karkat made a face, a mix of shock and disgust at the thought of going flushed for Equius.

“And who the brick-shitting hell implied that I wanted to go red with a barf-brained walrus? Don’t flatter yourself. That is not what’s going on here.” Karkat snarled.

“Your insults do very little to me. I suggest you hold your tongue in regards to them, you foul mouthed insect. If that is not what’s going on, then what exactly is? Because I am calling direct hoofbeast dung. Excuse me, that wasn’t called for. My apologies, Nepeta.”

Nepeta didn’t answer, deciding to stay quiet and let the boys get on with their business. She’d mediate when she was really needed.

“It isn’t exactly illegal for kismesis to take care of one another. And all things considered, what would I be doing, in any competent state of mind, letting you handle a goddamned grub? You couldn’t raise a metal layered diamond without crushing it.” Karkat retorted, picking on the bluebloods strength.

“You are implying that you would be so much more gentle?” Equius raised an eyebrow at this.

“Obviously. Satan’s more gentle than you, idiot. If I can handle Makara, post-god tier and off his slimy rocket chair, then go into goddamned battle not two minutes fucking later, I think I can manage a grub.”

“Yes? I vaguely, no, strongly recall you falling to pieces during the event you’re mentioning. The higher blue human and his purple companion had to drag you back up from him. The sound of your insistent, blubbering cries are stuck in my he--”

A near deafening snarl tore up the back of Karkat’s throat, from the bottom of his lungs, lightly vibrating his teeth.

“Are you purring, Vantas.” Equius inquired, though the faintest trace of teasing lingered in his tone.

“Listen to me, you sweat stained crust of existence, I am less than a second away from replacing your blood pusher with my sickle, and trust me, that’ll be a lot less fun for you than it will be for me. Obviously, sitting here on our asses and teetering around insults isn’t going to get us any-fucking-where! We at least need to be a little mature and figure something the hell out, or we might as well hand ourselves over on a sticker coated piece of fine chinaware and ship out to the drones front doors!” Karkat growled again.

Equius paused, thoughtful. “I suppose you’re..Right, to some extent. I applaud your remaining brain cells. Let’s get through this as cleanly as possible. We may preserve my nobility and your ‘life’ in the process.” He mused, then continued. “After all, this fiasco could get us all in trouble. Including Nepeta, and even Ampora...And what with the young Heiress Peixes being so close to her wriggling day, I doubt that she’d accept this flaw under her reign...Assuming she will challenge her elder for the throne, of course.”

“Exactly,” Karkat said, exasperated. Feferi’s wriggling day was only a fleeting thought, with a hint of alarm to it. But it passed swiftly.

“So, what do we do, mutant.” Equius kept at.

“Well,” Karkat wrinkled his nose in disagreement with the name. “For one thing, I don’t think you not being around me is going to work. It drives me goddamn insane.”

“How cute--”

“Shut it, Zahhak.”

“You may continue. I apologize.”

“Whatever. Anyways, you want space. I can’t do that, not now at least. What now.” Karkat asked.

“A simple solution would be for one of use to move in with the other.” Equius shrugged.

“You can stay with me,” Karkat said firmly.

“On what grounds?” Equius retorted, tinting blue at the order.

“It’s too cold here. And I don’t need Serket in my shit, either. Besides. You’re used to ‘lowblood’ weather. You’re in the olive sector enough.” Karkat reminded.

“Wow, rude.” Nepeta scoffed.

“Sorry,” Karkat shrugged.

“I-I. Hmph. Well...I have an add-on to that. A deal or no deal breaker, of sorts.” Equius said slyly.

“What is it?” Karkat asked warily.

“You will let me be for two weeks--”

“No.” Karkat broke in.

“You will let me be for two weeks to get my belongings together. Nepeta will bring to you on the last day. If you bring yourself back over here within those two weeks, I will drop all further contact with you and completely disappear. Agreed?” Equius finished.

Karkat’s eyes were wide. He had no real choice. Lose him for two weeks, or forever. What else could he say?

“Yes. Whatever. It’s a deal.” Karkat said, sticking out his hand to get a handshake in return.

Smartly, Nepeta broke in with a teasing giggle. “Now, look! You two can act like adults! It’s a miracle.” She quipped.

Equius blushed shamefully. “I do say, our behavior has been quite unacceptable, hasn’t it?”

Karkat looked away, dropping his hand. “What can I say, you rile me up more than a normal fucker does.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Equius replied with an unsettling almost-smile.

“I still hate you, Zahhak.”

“And I, you. Now leave.” Equius said, standing up.

Karkat huffed and stood up as well, grudgingly going towards the doors. He went out the door as Equius opened it. Karkat turned around to face Equius, looking up at the taller troll.

The last thing Karkat saw before the door closed was two piercing blue, deep eyes.

A thud, the metal door shut. Karkat turned around, avoiding the spot where he’d laid not too long before.

Then. He walked home.

This was day one of fourteen tortures. Two weeks left.

Two goddamned weeks.

 

_----_-+____---- Chapter 4, Part 2 _----_-+_____----

 

The air was thick with the scent of the sea. Dark blue waves, golden sand and wild flowers growing at every available patch of grass. It was silent, it was beautiful, and it was all her to him.

A bullet tore through the quiet around them. Eridan lowered the rifle to his side and adjusted his glasses, while Feferi stood a few paces behind him.

“Did you get it down, Eri?” She asked, peering curiously over her goggles. The monstrous sea-lusus twitched in the distance, violet bleeding from where it’d been hit.

Eridan frowned, squaring his shoulders. “Don’t think so.”

He dropped to one knee, jerked the gun back up and closed one eye, staring through the scope. With this close range-- only a few miles --, he could see the thing trying to get it bearings back. Can’t have that. One, two, three seconds, three bullets.

The creature stopped moving.

They held their breath.

“Goal!” Feferi cheered him. Eridan bit his lip and dropped the gun, standing up.

“I’ll go get it then. We’re movin’ off t’ the forest after this, yeah?” Eridan asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Mhm!” Feferi chirped mischievously. The young Ampora was a sight to see when hunting at all, but when he was on dry land, the thrill was breathtaking to say the least.

Eridan slung a net over his shoulder and went forward to fade under the violence of the crashing sea.

Water rushed excitedly over his gills as he swam, dragging the net behind himself, letting it catch on to smaller fish around him. They’d serve as little extras for that thing Feferi called a lusus. Even with the royal hue of it’s blood, Eridan couldn’t bring himself to have much respect for it. It was a giant tentacle monster, after all.

Purple just a shade below his own tinted the water before he knew it, a few seconds more and he was dead-eye in front of the monster he’d shot down. Two of the bullets floated serenely near the thing. Eridan tossed and drug the net over the beast, tugging it into a decent knot so that he could start pulling it back to shore.

Under the sea was so very quiet. Nothing to hear but the rush of water over his gills, the steady breathing and beating of the pusher in his chest. Eridan kept his eyes open and his head down while he jetted towards the shoreline for the third time that day. The weight of his catch slowed him down a bit. He couldn’t wait to get back up to the dry air. Hunting on land was a lot more fun for him than chasing with bullets.

God, it was hard to not think.

A pair of testing fuchsia eyes burned behind his eyelids, guarding a sly, cheery grin. And how could he not trust the beautiful girl who had led him from innocence to self-purgatory? What sins he was to atone for in the end of this.

His chest burned.

How far was the shore now? Too far, that’s it.

He hated hunting. He loved it. The thrill, the pain.

It scared him. He hated it. It kept Feferi from having to do it herself. He loved her. He loved this.

Keep going, keep going. Almost there.

The eyes in his head cheered him on. Every few thoughts, the eyes went one red and one blue, building the sting up worse. He hated to notice that beyond her smile, both pairs of eyes were mocking him.

Ignore it. Keep going, keep going. Almost there now.

Eridan could see the glare of the sun above him. Ever since they’d won the game and came to this planet of trolls and humans, the sun was easier to handle. It didn’t heal the burns it’d caused before, but it apologized with being bearable now.

She was so very beautiful, she was. How could he say no?

Again, red, blue, pink behind the thick shield of his self-imposed ignorance.

He broke water, and filled his lungs with one more gasp of water before fresh air invaded. Feferi was standing there with a pocket watch and a smile, as usual.

“Ten minutes, thirty two seconds!” She tapped the watch. Mischief sparked in Eridan’s eyes.  
“Bet I can get somethin’ out the forrest faster,” Eridan said. Feferi’s smile widened.

A moment later, they were at the edge of the forest. Feferi held her watch, and began counting down from three. Eridan was in the position runners take before they start, glowing with the excitement.

“Ready, one! Set, two! Go! Go, go, go!” She cheered. Eridan tore from his spot, moving like a feral wildbeast through the woods on all fours. His eyes were wide and vibrant and dangerous. His breath, even.

He came to an abrupt halt, stopping at full. His fins twitched at the sound of nothing. A twig snapped somewhere. The wind ruffled delicately through the dual toned waves of his cold wet hair, tickling over his skin in the same way. He shivered, bumps rippling urgently over his entire body.

The feeling was rushing, nearly sensual. He loved this.

And god, he fucking hated it.

Eridan dug his nails into the soft, moist dirt underneath of him. A swift flash of white flickered into his side-vision, making his back arch up like a cat. His fins raised and pressed against his skull. His teeth poked through the skin of his lower lip as he trembled there, waiting. There! There it was again! The white flash tore through the woods. A tiger, maybe. It’s tail was of a cats, and it’s whiteness like a lusus.

Eridan drug his feet back an inch, curling his toes around the thick, loose soil. Breathing in, the scent of the salty sea mingled with pine and fresh dirt. Blood was in the tense atmosphere.

A half second and he was gone. Violet, violent eyes scanned as he moved swiftly, the air seemed to part for him as he made his way. The sharp sting of wounds tore at him as branches snagged his skin, his hair, dragging blood over his smooth grey skin.

His pupils dilated again as the -- yes, a tiger, -- came back into his view. It knew it was being hunted now. It looked over its shoulder before bolting from Eridan again, but it had no luck of escape. The prince has his prey in his sights, and that was death.

Eridan pounced, gliding through the still air for a second before landing on the back of his catch. He straddled it’s back with his thighs, which were now only covered by his hunting shorts, which did little to protect. Scratches burned at him as the cat tossed him from it’s back, throwing him on his back at swiping it’s claws out.

Eridan dodged. He kicked up his knee, knocking the breath from the beast as the blow connected with it’s gut. A light olive green spilled from its lips, splattering onto Eridan’s throat. The tiger let out a whine of pain and Eridan grabbed a fistful of it fur at the nape of it’s neck, yanking it back from him. He threw it on to it’s back and sat, hard, on it’s belly. Through the heated silence, he heard a bone snap. The sound was hollow and ghostly.

He had this won, easy. The highblood prince himself, back at his least favorite, favorite game.

Cat and mouse, cat and fish, though the roles were backwards.

Eridan wrapped his slim fingers around the beasts delicate throat, and…

A stabbing whine filled every centimeter of free room around them. It left Eridan’s ears ringing.

Blood spilled from his chest, where four claws had torn through his shirt and broken skin, deep enough for him to make such a shameful sound.

The cat had turned them back over. It snarled at him, eyes wide and terrified. But, in Eridan’s head all he see was red. Red, red. Angry, violent. Destroy.

The cat's eyes became those beloved ones of fuschia, then red, then red and blue. Blood spilled from him. His breath hitched up into a faster speed. He tore. He ripped and shredded. Green flooded over his fingers, sticky and slick.

He’d knocked the thing off with his elbow, pinned it back against a tree. His teeth dripped with olive as he let the beast slide down the tree to fall limply to the ground.

The seadweller stood there in silence, his thoughts clouded with irrational violence. He’d won. It was all over, again. He was free. Until next time.

He stood there for so long that Feferi came looking from him. Seeing him in this state, she stopped before she could playfully quip that it was officially one minute over his limit.

She frowned, wary and silent. Olive dripped steadily down Eridan’s arm and he glanced up. A second later he’d wiped the green from his arm and swiftly moved past her, leaving the cat and the girl standing, one limp and one shaking.

Feferi blinked and looked sadly at the animal, biting her lips. After a moment she leaned up and plucked a flower from the willow-like tree hanging over her head like deranged claws of some ghost out for nothing. The branch bounced back as the flower popped off. A few petals scattered down to lay over the cat’s body. Feferi laid the flower behind it’s ear.

In the soft, breathy tone of a seadwellers native tongue, she bid it goodbye.

She turned on her heel and went off after her other broken soldier.

A few minutes passed uneventfully, from the time it took them to get back to the beach. Eridan cleaned his wounds and the stains, changed his pants again while Feferi sat back on her rock and watched. It wasn’t all too interesting at all.

Seconds faded past each other into a few more sets of minutes before Eridan sat down in the sand near Feferi’s rock.

“...Sooo…” Feferi started, Eridan’s eyes going up to her as he tucked his knees under his chin to his chest.

“Yeah?”

“My wriggling day is coming up soon, you know.”

Eridan nodded. Obviously he knew that.

“And, I, uh. I wanna ask you somefin, but this is really hard.”

“Go ahead, Fef. Just say it. Or, er, ask, whatever,” He mumbled back.

“Well, um. You know, at nine sweeps is when..And you haven’t...I mean, you don’t..Ugh! Coddamnit.” She groaned in frustration, raking her hands through the mass of ink black waves on her head.

Eridan knew.

“You want me t’ go an’ apply f’ the trainin’, right?” He asked.

Her face fell. “Aren’t you?”

“A’ ‘course, ‘Feri. Wouldn’t leave you with that, y’know.” He assured.

Nine sweeps, for an heiress to the throne, was the traditional age at which she would challenge the current Empress. And though they had won their game, and came to an entirely new planet, Meenah had taken the throne. And a lot of people were unhappy about that.

Feferi wanted to start building up her team. Meaning, Eridan would go and apply for the Orphaner trials.

Feferi smiled a little, weakly. “You’re great, you know.”

“You’re the one who’s great, goin’ an’ gettin’ t’ be Queen an’ all. Think she expects we're comin’?” He asked.

Usually the heiress had the element of both ignorance and surprise on their side. It’s a lot harder to kill someone you know and love, than some lady with a title and a crown that you want.

Feferi stared forward. “I dunno, guppy. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to do it. To krill my own dancestor! Maybe..Maybe we can just talk it through. I can convince her to step down. Or we can rule together!” She wondered aloud.

Eridan scoffed, shaking his head. “Her? No way. She’s not gonna go f’ that. Just, don’t think about it. Go in, get out.” He instructed blandly, aching a bit. He himself had a closer relationship with Meenah than even Feferi. What was his obsession with these fuschia girls?

He himself didn’t know the answer to that.

“No, no. I think I’ll talk to her. Eridan! Erifin, would you go with me?” She bounded up in a flounce of silk and colors, clutching his hands together with her own excitedly.

“I. What?” He asked.

“Come with me to Pisxi!” She said, the name of their new planets capital. Home to the trials of the Orphaner, grubs, the Brooding Caverns, and the Empress.

“It’ll be taking down two boats with one cannon! You can apply, I can meet Meenah!” She explained.

“I guess so? I’ll go. When?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I dunno. You're right, sort of. Its gonna be hard as shell, getting her to talk. I need time.” Feferi agreed.

"Just let me know then, 'Feri." Eridan said emptily.

"I will."


	6. Chapter 6

Too early, too chilly, the breeze against Karkat's cheeks was all too irritating. He was laying on his couch, and was, asleep. Barely conscious, Karkat knew that every window and door was locked. It was a paranoia thing. And thanks to a quadrant with one finicky high blood, and another mechanic, there were no cracks Karkat knew of either. Knowing this brought on a simple, irritatedly spoken sentence.

“Why the _fuck_ is it so goddamn _cold_.” Karkat snapped, thinking it was to himself. Karkat opened his eyes.

The sight he was greeted with mirrored his own, though these were not red or angry.

Bright blue eyes glittered above him, black hair hanging down to partially help shade long lashes, though they were covered. Glasses slid a bit down his visitors nose, only to meet a smile at the end.

Karkat's heart slipped and skipped a harsh beat, breath catching violently before settling down into a disappointed, bitter huff and scowl.

“Hi Karkat!”

“John Egbert what in the ever loving fuck are you doing in my hive? How'd you get in here?” Karkat asked pissily, sitting up. The eyes. Too blue. They'd shaken him fully awake, and for what? It wasn't even the right Heir. Not the right idiot. His heart ached in his chest, anger tinted sadness bubbling there, docile for the moment.

“You know that your door is not locked, right?” John asked, still blowing his little breeze around as he floated above the couch without a fear in the world.

“What? Yes it is, it's locked. It was. What are you talking about, douchenozzle?” Karkat stood, making John float up higher. Karkat went to check the door, and John had been right. Unlocked. Hanging slightly open even. Karkat's heart thrummed in his chest, hard. It was pregame instinct, to be terrified of the Empire catching and killing him. The troll sections of this new planet were still kept by a traditional Empire setup, which may have given his fear substance, but everything was being run by Meenah now.

Upon inspection after first arriving, just as originally promised, everyone who'd died had been brought back, and was living here throughout the duration of the game. It was startling, to find that only players of the game went to the bubbles. Everyone else who died was revived instantly, here on this planet, to wait until the game ended. Them coming back was a true bang. A hard one. The players were respected, but the planets inhabitants didn't want to throw a royalty ball. They wanted to build up, get going. This worked for the humans. They didn't want all that attention. For the most part, it worked for the trolls as well. The lower bloods faded into the patchwork, revered but avoiding spotlight. They got normal jobs, lived normal lives. The sea dwellers, however, were given their awaited celebration. Well, at the time, Feferi was going through a mental episode. She was less observed because of it, but highly talked about. Because there was no other fuchsia blood, and because not even Eridan was brash enough to break tradition and step up, the crown went to Meenah.

This troubled a lot of trolls, and even the humans, as they'd thought she was against taking the throne. It was just suspicious. But she seemed to be faring well enough. Aside from reestablishing the old Alternian ways of life, brooding and trials, all that minus such a harsh spectrum. The spectrum still existed however, subtly. Not so subtly. All right, it was still in place, but everyone just said it wasn't. Karkat was nervous of this, despite it seeming that Meenah had given him a pass of sorts. For being, “Shella cool”.

But tensions were high. Nothing terrible had happened yet, nothing seeable at least, besides the grub and Orphaner trials, and maybe the fact that the Heiress would still be expected to kill the current Empress. But somehow, with Meenah in charge, these things had passed? With agitation of course, but nonetheless.

John floated down until he was behind Karkat, silent. The jumpy troll was immediately sent into a round of curses when he turned his head to find John hovering over his shoulder.

“What the fuck! What the actual fuck! What in your human gods name would even fucking bring you to do something like that, you ass! Fucking Christ! Augh!” Karkat steamed on, pushing him away to stomp off back to the couch.

“Gosh, sorry. No reason to attack like that. I didn't scare you too bad did I?” John chuckled, making Karkat go red.

“No, I was perfectly fucking fine with you breath descending behind me like some goddamned Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger of fucking air. Nothing wrong with that at all! Why not just hand me a heart attack while your at it! That'll do it. Balancing out my respiratory systems panic attack, and it's just goddamn peachy, isn't it!” He growled, gritting his teeth, still trying to calm down.

John frowned.

“Well jeez, looks like someone's on edge.”

“You think?”

“I could help you relax if you want,” John shrugged.

Karkat had spent too much time around Striders suggestiveness not to go fire red.

“And what the hell do you mean by that, John?” He squints at him.

“I could take you flyi--”

“That sounds fucking stupid. No.”

“But Karkat!”

“But Karkat what? It'll be ‘fun'? Fucking. No. Egbert, the answer is no.”

John huffed. “Jerk.”

“Your human female lusus said the same thing about you.” Karkat said, raising the middle finger. He still wasn't so skilled at human ‘burn humor’, and after all this time, Dave was still a stone cold fucking liar about human culture. Karkat was often misled anyways.

“Karkat. I don't even have a mother. You know that.” John crossed his arms, snickering.

“... You're ‘dad' or whatever then. Shut up!” Karkat corrected, only redder now.

“Nope! You have done it now! How dare you insult my pretend human female lusus!” John exclaimed dramatically, grinning full of mischief.

Karkat looked at him nervously. “John--? Fuck!”  
Karkat shrieked as John lifted him up. The little nerd was stronger than he looked! A second later, Karkat was on his back on the couch. John hung above him in the air, grinning.

Karkat didn't have another second to waste before John came crashing down on to his lap.

“What are you doing!” Karkat shouted, held back by breezy bonds on his hands. John gave him another devilish grin, and then, all too quickly.

John began to tickle him. This was worse than any other punishment he could imagine then, as slim, quick fingers danced mercilessly across the trolls sides.

John was laughing, and so was Karkat, but only because it tickled. He was so sensitive. Karkat briefly wondered who had clued John in on his ticklishness. Must have been Ampora, nobody else knew. Besides Terezi, and who even knew where she was these days?

“Oh god, fucking stop! Egbert, have goddamn mercy! I can't breathe! Man down, I fucking surrender!” He choked out, whenever he could catch a breath.

Still laughing, John let go and fell back on to the couch. Since he hadn't released Karkat's hands, though, the young Vantas was tugged up to lay on John's chest, glaring up at him.

“Woo! That was a real trip! Guess you won't be doing that again!” John grinned at him.

“You're a fucking dick.” Karkat huffed, still trying to breathe right,

John stopped holding him with the wind, only to hug him with his arms instead.

“Maybe you shouldn't let Dave teach you mom jokes then!” John singsonged.

“But you don't even have a mother!”

John rolled his eyes. “Wow, thanks.”

Karkat watched him a moment, unsure if he'd said something wrong. Now that he thought about it, it did sound kind of really rude. If it'd been put in terms of lusii, and they were practically the same in a general context.

“John.” Karkat glared.

“Huh?”

“This is my apology face. You are fucking welcome.” He said, making the best impression of shamefulness he could muster up.

“Pffft. Karkat, I was joking. I am not upset or anything.” He shrugged.

Karkat burned red.

“Then why would you make that face at me! Making me go and apologize for no goddamn reason!’

“Karkat!” John whined, drawing out his name like a whine from a child. “Stop ragging on me!”

“Then stop being a--”

“Stoooooop! Alright, I get it!” John said, exasperated.

“Fuck you. You're an ass. I'm not sorry,” Karkat finished, sitting up angrily. John sat up with him and stretched, arms going above his head. He arched his back forward, making a soft pop.

“Yeah, yeah. I didn't make you apologize. You did that yourself! But thanks, for the effort.” John grinned, lowering his arms and leaning back against the couch. 

Karkat grumbled, crossing his arms. Black hair fell into his vibrant red eyes, mumbles soft under its shield. He hugged his knees to his chest and drew in a deep breath, before letting it back out. John tilted his head curiously.

“That bad, huh?” He asked quietly.

“Tch.” Karkat slumped his shoulders and glared at the floor. Denied exit, red tint pricked at his eyes. “How much do you know, Egbert.”

John smiled sheepishly.

“Everything? Nepeta told Dave, and Dave told me. I, uh, am sorry, I guess? Congratulations?” He tried.

“Not fucking congratulations, this shit is terrible! And I can't believe you came here all the way from human territory, just to say that, John.” Karkat glared.

“Jade brought me!”

“Fucking hell. Does she know too?”

“Uh..”

“Of course. Of fucking course. I'm going to take a grand leap into conclusion-ville and assume that Seery McFuture also knows?”

“Heh..”

“I can't even say unbelievable. Of course they do. Shit.”

“Er, well, Karkat. You know none of the humans really care right? I mean, they care! The girls are kinda excited! But, nobodies really being… Malicious?”

“Well, John, I'm not a human. I don't live in human territory. You might be in charge over in that docile ass country, but I'm here.”

John shrugged.

“Come live with us!”

“You really are just a sweet little fucking imbecile, aren't you.” Karkat deadpanned.

“Hey, I am not!” John said, head snapping up to look at Karkat, offended slightly.

“Yeah, fuck me. I know you aren't. Just. Eridan, you know? And it's not just his pompous ass either. Equius, Kanaya. Feferi’s going to be taking throne soon. Which means cape douche is going to try and saddle on as Orphaner.” Karkat vented.

John blinked, taken aback by the sudden flood of words. Even more so, concerned as Karkat's fists clenched into the soft blue fabric of his shirt, followed by a hesitant pressing of the Vantas’ head into the crook of his arm. Compared, Karkat always felt like he had a fever to John. This ticking time bomb on infinite reset burned against his chest. John snickered softly, looking down at him fondly.

Karkat grunted, sighing. “You're an actual fucking bag of shit quality sugar, Egbert. Thanks for letting me blow off that steam. Even though I keep telling you not to, considering the fact that you're not my moirail.”

John rolled his eyes and lightly bopped Karkat on the side of the head.

“I don't care if we aren't morals, man. I'm always here if you need to talk.”

“Moirail, John. And I know you meant to say it wrong because I literally just fucking said it, out loud.”

“Snrk. Whatever. Hey, Karkat?”

“What do you want.”

“You really should let me take you flying sometime. I mean..”

“What are you trying to propose here, Egbert.”

“I'm just saying that maybe it would more fun than you think it is! And you could come visit Earth?”

“I already said I don't want anything to do with your dumbass human country, John.”

“Dave misses you, you know. Kanaya comes to visit sometimes.” John huffed.

“Kanaya is in a quadrant with Rose, that's different.”

“Well Dave, still.”

“Strider can get his ass the fuck over here if he wants to see me.”

“I thought you two were ‘best bro's'?” John rolled his eyes.

“Hey, I never said we weren't you assumptuous ass. We're still the best of the best bros.”

“Then I guess he won't be too against you coming to visit!”

“John, no.”

“Why the hell not!” John groaned and flopped further against the couch.

“What if something happens with Equius?”

“Oh. Um.. You can call him every once in awhile?”

“I'm not allowed. He put me on contact probation for two fucking weeks, the brainless insufferable bulgebite.”

“Really? Wow. Sorry. Dave can do it for you?”

“.... No.”

“Karkat,”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No.”

“No,” John smirked.

“Yes. Wait, fuck! Egbert you ass!”

John laughed and hugged him, smoothly dragging the Vantas into the air. The wind wrapped securely around Karkat's body.

“You fucking tricked me!” Karkat accused, clinging angrily to John's body with a minutely half-terrified look. What if he dropped him? The fear in itself scared him. After SGRUB? Of course, it'd been a while now, but having grown up on Alternia? He feared being afraid of such a trivial thing. He still couldn't afford to go soft, go weak.

“Look, if you really want me to, I'll put you down. But I think you should let me take you,” John said with a serious face. Karkat stared him down, conflict burning and bouncing in his vermilion wine eyes. Equius would be out of the question for the next two weeks. But looking at John now, who was so much easier to deal with, and had the same obnoxiously blue eyes and jet black hair -- It was hard not to blur the lines. Two weeks without Equius, or a little more time with his eyes? Karkat grit his teeth. How could he even think something like that? But still, it was true. John's blue nature held his anxiety at bay. It wasn't the Heir he yearned for, but it could be good enough if he let it be. Looking down, feeling so goddamned terrible, Karkat nodded once.

John grinned and gently landed back on the ground. He poked Karkat's cheek and snickered.

“Knowing Strider this few hours vacation is going to turn into a month long soirée of hell fucking purgatory up the ass with a knife.” Karkat crossed his arms, thinking.

“Wow Karkat.”

“Let me go grab extra clothes.” He rolled his eyes. Karkat always had moved lithe and silent, and in a second, had swiftly morphed his way up the stairs and into his respiteblock, to where Crabdad laid in the corner, greeting him with a disdained clacking. Only the soft shuffle of Karkat's socks and cool breath sighing out filled the air alongside the lusii's chittering.

“Yeah yeah, I fucking know. Shut up, would you.” Karkat mumbled, eyes going down with disappointment and that nagging tug of fear in his chest. Leave it to Crabdad to pull back up how reckless he'd been. For the millionth time, Karkat reminisced on his trials and error, deep enough in that he didn't feel the thunk of his knees hitting wood when he sat in front of his dresser, but could relish in the sting and ache of it. His arms dragged themselves robotically, pulling open the bottom drawer as he thought. What could Equius be doing now?

A few copies of the same sweater were pulled out and sat to the side.

Nepeta had better be keeping him in check.

Now pants. Karkat decided with a blank, far off expression, he'd only need to pull out these bed shorts, and what he'd thought was a jet black pair of pants. Karkat took ahold of the material, tugging it from the hold of the drawer. What came out wasn't pants, however, and Karkat blinked, yanked back from his thoughts. Wavering eyes settled distressedly on yet another copy of his sweater. But in place of his grayed out symbol, blue.  
Wrinkles shot through the limp hanging sweater as Karkat dangled it before himself, breath settling and sticking in his throat.

The sweater was just as crumpled as all the other clothes. But Equius’ symbol stood out, untouched, unscathed, unburdened. Karkat gripped the sleeve tighter, finally releasing that dry, insignificant breath from his lungs clutches. Karkat slowly took off his shirt, body tense and shudder heavy as he pulled the Sagittarius' shirt on instead. A familiar shame enveloped his body, followed by a low purr. The fabric brushed against his skin when he shifted, raising goosebumps that chased a flush across his body, that in turn chased a sickness through his gut.

His eyes fell closed as he raised the collar of the shirt to his nose and shakily inhaled the scent. The fabric cleaner did wonders, but not enough to block the Vantas from a harsh inhale of lingering sweat and that special scent that was just Equius’. Karkat's lungs ached, bones feeling like soggy bricks under heavy skin while sat, so enchanted within a made up bout of muscle and blue that he didn't mind, but shuddered and almost arched in acceptance when the cool, slim bands of John's wind wrapped around his torso and gripped lightly, accidentally raising the back of Karkat's shirt.

John leaned against the doorframe, watching this curiously, but not speaking.

He still was concerned for Karkat's stress, the amount abnormal even for him. John took it upon himself to make his cold wind form into the solid shape of hands, these gentle appendages slid under the hem of the sweater, kneading and pressing caringly at the sore muscles. It almost made John wince to feel, through the wind, all of the tension under his airy touch.

Karkat knew by now that it was John, was alarmingly aware, but again, with his eyes just fluttering open, glazed over and wavering, let himself try to relax. The wind was cold enough to be blue blooded. Another shock of shame burst through his spine, making him clench and grimace, mumbling: “Harder.”

John's power stuttered briefly before he nodded and made the hands firmer, real feeling almost. If anything, abnormally smooth and soft, but real feeling nonetheless. The hands massaged and comforted harshly treated muscles, loosening knots and relieving aches. Karkat wriggled around, keening quietly. He leaned forward a bit, resting his weight on heel of his hands, back arching before he shuddered and clenched the carpet.

“Cut it out Egbert. That's.. Fuck, you goddamn trash of a so-called best human friend. Thank you. Now fuck off.” He grumbled, licking the drought from the desert his mouth had become, thieved of all moisture by dry breath over helpless tongue. John snapped to attention, the breeze going out like a thick bunch of thread that'd been held straight and tense, then finally let go. The hold shattered, skittered silently across the floor with its new family of stale oxygen and memory packed dust that danced where the curtains let the sun break upon the pale wooden floor. And it wasn't just the wind, but Karkat too.

He gripped another sweater into his hands, pulling it up and onto himself, over that damnation of the Sagittarius' shirt, the thing he couldn't bear himself to part with yet, the salt still too strong on it, _his_ workshop lingering into every stitch.

“I'm ready to go, so if you're not hurry the fuck up and get ready. I don't have all day to waste getting there.” He grimaced, rubbing the thick material of his sleeve between his fingers. In every honesty, he really couldn't wait to be back in that lily of a country. The humans remake of Earth. And Dave, he, was something to still get excited for. All of the humans, it seemed, lit a match in his throat, sent smoke into his head and out of his ears. Jade, and Rose too, he hoped they would be around.

Rose, she, had a figure like Kanaya. In her Seer attire, he'd always notice how the orange material stretched over her fittingly. Painted over every mound and line, just like Kanaya's own dress on Kanaya’s own body. The familiarity was a cool comfort, and due to it, Karkat never was aroused by this. Just appreciative, and to be fair, flustered to an extent that anybody would be. There was nothing there, romance-wise, but both women were striking, and it could only be expected. As for Jade, she was of equal beauty, if not elegance. A pure Witch of Space, she and her bundling celestiality, made to fit like she was sewn straight from the milky way and painted back onto the mystic cuts in the moon. Warping existence at the speed of the sound of get laugh as it ran through dust-billowing fields, clinging to whatever it ran into.

Karkat look on both girls fondly, and like anyone with eyes and ears, doing so often cast a hint of red over his features. It was very much the same for John and Dave. He couldn't wait, honestly. It struck him that he was stupid not to have taken up the offer as soon as it was presented, then again, he wasn't too sure if he was ready to go. Or, no, not so much ready to go, but ready to leave. Equius sat like a ticking time bomb in his thoughts, a minefield he couldn't quite navigate, and kept setting off.

 

“I'm all set. So, uh, I'll carry you I guess?” John offered, eyes still fixed on the back of Karkat's head, until, the troll turned to face him properly, pitting concerned blue against cautious red.

“If you fucking drop me, you'll be dead before I am.” Karkat threatened, overwhelmed. John, of course, nodded, and waited awkwardly in his stance until Karkat kicked and yanked his way up on to his shoulders.

“Are you okay up there?” John asked, quirking a brow. Karkat stared icily ahead, tightening his legs around John's shoulders. It was a bit sore inducing, but nothing John couldn't handle. He had to bite through a wince, however, but nonetheless. Karkat's satchel was hung around the boys neck, and without any further ado, they were downstairs, and out of the door. The grass kept the memory fresh of where John's feet had mussed it, and in flight, had blown it askew, just as the clouds held their outlines when they went flying through.

In the shield of growing panic and instinct, Karkat couldn't shake the urge to bite at his lips as they flew high over and away from the ground, scenery flooding and choking his senses, until the lack of such sent him into sleep. He could only hope that John wouldn't drop him, and that the comfort of him being there would overcome nausea, and keep the sleeping horrorterrors from slinking darkness into his raw subconscious.

But mere immortals can only do so much.


End file.
